The project deals with the future sustainability of the peat supply chain for Dutch horticulture. This means securing long term availability of high quality peat and/or alternatives for the sector, dealing appropriately with biodiversity issues and taking climate change into account. The project goals are: 1) Gaining insight into the impacts of peat extraction and peat trade on biodiversity in Europe (including CO2/climate related issues), based on information on production, trade, technologies used with the focus on the role of the Dutch private sector in the international context; and 2) Exploring options for improving extraction methods and the use of alternative basis materials for producing growing media for horticulture and possibilities to define indicators, criteria and standards for sustainability.